Reno Reporter

Seventy University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), seniors recently graduated from the School of Medicine and started their careers as new physicians. 

The commencement ceremony was held on May 13 at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts in Reno and marked the start of the professional career for each of the 70 graduates, a UNR press release said. The new physicians received their diplomas and then recited the Physician's Oath, which is based on the ancient Hippocratic Oath and is a personal pledge of ethical commitment to the field of medicine.

“Oaths have the power to influence,” Dr. Melissa Piasecki, acting dean, said at the commencement. “They can guide our ethical decision-making and behaviors. They make us accountable to ourselves and each other. If we change an oath, we can change what we do and how we do it.”

The Physician's Oath traditionally includes the introductory statement, “The health and well-being of my patient will be my first consideration.” At the behest of Kyler Smith, a second-year UNR med student researching clinical ethics, UNR updated this year's oath to include new language: “I will attend to my own health, well-being, and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard.” The World Medical Association adopted the modified version of the oath in 2017.

“Reported burnout in medicine is high, and we need to pay attention to this new language on well-being,” Piasecki said in release. “The language in this oath matters because bringing our best abilities to patient care requires self-care. That is the key that unlocks our least biased, most complete, best selves.”

UNR will go on to place the new graduates at some of the country’s most distinguished and competitive residency programs, including those in Reno and Las Vegas, where students will be able to pursue a variety of medical specializations.